Join Times staff writer Robert Faturechi at 12:30 p.m. for a L.A. Now Live discussion on the second debate between candidates vying to be the next L.A. County sheriff. Unlike at their debate last month, Faturechi reported that the candidates this week sharpened their attacks and directed multiple barbs at the men sitting beside them. Some of the jabs were veiled, others more direct, and it's unclear if the debate represents a nastier campaign path ahead. Full Coverage: BEHIND THE BADGE During the discussion, Faturechi will answer questions and respond to comments about the candidates and how they presented themselves during the debate. Readers can tweet questions or comments ahead of time to moderator @aribloomekatz, or submit them directly on the chat interface when it goes live on the L.A. Times homepage at 12:30 p.m. ALSO: LAPD mourns the loss of one of its own at downtown funeral Manson family killer Bruce Davis gets parole grant, but may not walk FBI ramps up Hawaii search for suspected terrorist in Calif.

The candidates for Los Angeles County sheriff sharpened their attacks Wednesday night, accusing each other of mismanagement and opportunism in front of a Van Nuys audience gathered for their second debate. Assistant Sheriff Jim Hellmold, one of two candidates tapped to run by former Sheriff Lee Baca, called out former Cmdr. Bob Olmsted more than once. Before retiring, Olmsted oversaw the department's most troubled jails. He has described himself as a whistle-blower who tried to alert top brass about inmate abuse and aggressive deputy "gangs" but was ignored.

It appears there's a power struggle brewing in the union for rank-and-file Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies. Earlier this week, the union put out a statement announcing that it had removed its president, citing problems with his attendance. According to sources familiar with the union's inner-workings, the supposedly ousted president, Armando Macias, showed up at a meeting Wednesday and insisted on running it. Reached by The Times on Thursday, a union representative declined to say who is now the union's president.

The period for candidates to file their paperwork to run for the open Los Angeles County sheriff and assessor's seats has closed, with crowded fields in both races. Twelve candidates had filed by Wednesday's deadline to run for the assessor's post being vacated by incumbent John Noguez - who is facing criminal charges in a public corruption case and chose not to seek reelection. Seven put in their paperwork for the sheriff's seat. Former Sheriff Lee Baca announced his retirement in January, with his department under federal investigation over allegations of misconduct by deputies in the jails.

March 13, 2014 | By Robert Faturechi, This post has been updated. See the note below for details.

A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy was convicted Thursday of rape and bribery, stemming from two traffic stops, including one in which he pulled a woman over, then raped her in the desert, prosecutors said. Jose Rigaberto Sanchez, 29, pleaded no contest to rape under color of authority and soliciting a bribe and is expected to be sentenced to eight years and eight months in prison. Sanchez pulled over a 24-year-old woman in Palmdale while on duty Sept. 22, 2010, and allegedly offered not to arrest her on an outstanding warrant in exchange for sex, prosecutors said.

The candidates for Los Angeles County sheriff sharpened their attacks Wednesday night, accusing each other of mismanagement and opportunism in front of a Van Nuys audience gathered for their second debate. Unlike the debate last month, this time the candidates directed multiple barbs at the men sitting beside them, some veiled and some not. Assistant Sheriff Jim Hellmold, one of two candidates former Sheriff Lee Baca tapped to run, called out former Cmdr. Bob Olmsted more than once.

At the top of the big whiteboard in his office, Andre Birotte Jr. has written "BHAGS," by which he means his aspirations as U.S. attorney for seven Southern California counties: "big hairy audacious goals. " He's already hit some audacious personal goals, this son of Haitian immigrants. He's made his way from the L.A. public defender's office to inspector general of the Los Angeles Police Department to private practice, and, since 2010, to chief of the most populous U.S. attorney's district in the nation.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is considering a new system for deciding which jail inmates get released early by making predictions about who is most likely to commit new crimes. The proposal calls for a significant shift for the nation's largest jail system, which currently determines when inmates get released by looking at the seriousness of their most recent offense and the percentage of their sentence they have already served. Officials say the current system has weaknesses because it does not take into account the inmate's full record, including serious crimes that occurred years ago. Supporters argue the change would help select inmates for early release who are less likely to commit new crimes.

Authorities in Temple City are trying to keep the peace Thursday amid the media frenzy over the purported creator of Bitcoin. Reporters have swarmed the Temple City home of Satoshi Nakamoto after a Newsweek story claimed he was the creator of the controversial currency. Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said they have been sending a car to his home every few hours to make sure there are no problems. LIVE UPDATES: The chase for an alleged bitcoin founder No incidents have been reported to authorities.